“We’re going to Carthem. And don’t worry, it’s not as horrible a place as you’ve heard.” He paused. “Not that I’ve been there.”
“I don’t care if it is,” Alina said as she stepped into the suit and zipped it over her gown, then took the shoes Rex held out for her. “Any place is better than this cell for eternity.” She slipped on the shoes and placed the visor over her head. Her heart pounded in her chest.
“I’m sorry, Rex,” she whispered.
“Don’t be. It would have come to this, anyway.” He lowered his visor as they walked through the doorway onto the metal platform. “Sampson acted sooner than we expected. Not long after you arrived at the feast, two men escorted Jade away. When I saw you enter the aircar, I knew I needed to move fast. Our original plan is too risky, so I’m improvising tonight.”
“Can we find Jade?”
Rex’s shoulders drooped. “I don’t know. I hope so.”
Alina followed him toward the bolted door, glancing at the window with the red-eyed fiend as they passed, but felt nothing. All the rooms were dark.
She pointed to the windows. “These rooms hold Sampson’s creatures, and they’re terrible!”
“I know. My rebel friend who got me in here sealed the rooms off so they couldn’t affect us. Apparently, some of the creatures mess with your mind.”
“Yes, I noticed,” Alina shuddered.
They reached the exit and Rex tapped the lock-screen. They cringed as the door clanged open. It seemed loud enough to alert the whole palace.
“Now for the hard part,” Rex whispered. “Finding the serum dagger without being seen.”
“Serum dagger?” Alina squeaked.
“Shhh!” he said as he inched his head out and glanced down the hallway. “I’ll try to explain on the way.” He slipped out, sliding his body flat against the wall. Alina followed.
“We should walk normal,” Rex muttered under his breath. “That’s the whole point of the disguise, right?”
“Except Sampson said all the workers have the night off. We’ll look suspicious at first glance,” she muttered back.
“Having them gone is a good thing. Fewer around to find us. Come on, let’s go.”
Alina’s stomach was in knots. They scurried down the hallway, pausing to peek around each corner. Alina glanced frequently behind her as she followed Rex.
Halfway down the hall, they froze. Voices and footsteps carried toward them, growing louder. Rex scanned the doors, and when he saw one ajar, he dashed into the room and pulled Alina after him, closing the door softly from behind.
The sight of the room made Alina gasp. In the center sat the largest monitor she’d ever seen. Its flat, square screen stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Hundreds of narrow slotted trays lined the walls, filled to capacity with info-discs. A sliding ladder leaned against the right wall, next to the monitor.
“What in the world—” Rex started, but a man’s voice from the hallway silenced him.
“Interesting guy, this Zaiden fellow.”
Alina’s heart stopped.
“Put it back so we can tell Sampson it’s done,” another man said nervously. Alina glanced at Rex, but he was looking at the floor. She couldn’t see his face through the mask.
One of the men chuckled just outside the door. “I love taking Rex down. I always knew he was a fraud.” A long pause followed. “That’s funny. I could’ve sworn I left the door open. We’ve only been gone a few minutes.”
Alina panicked as Rex gripped her arm. They darted behind the monitor just as the lock-screen buzzed and the door opened.
Alina held her breath as the men entered, dreading discovery at any moment. Footsteps tapped the marble floor to the ladder near their hiding spot. She peeked around the monitor and caught a glimpse of a sharply dressed man, looking as if he’d come straight from the Harvest Feast.
He pulled the ladder toward him and began climbing, an info-disc in his hand. Alina made herself as small as possible, praying he wouldn’t have a reason to access the trays behind the monitor.
Halfway up the wall he slid the info-disc into a tray between the others, then climbed down and turned to the man standing in the doorway.
“You know, Brock, I’m not sure I want this promotion. It’s more entertaining here, even if the pay is lower. Access to all the beautiful women I want—it’s paid off many times. You’ll still let me into this room when I need it, won’t you?”
Brock snorted. “Whose girlfriend do you want to steal this time?”
“Well,” he dropped his voice as if sharing a secret. “I’ve been watching Sampson’s third woman; you know, the one with the nice body.”
“Phil, are you mad?” Brock hissed. “You dare try to steal one of his? You know he’s the only one who can let them go. Even they can’t choose to leave.”
“That’s what I want to find out,” Phil said. “Can you think of anything more thrilling? Is there any woman harder to get? It’s a challenge I can’t resist. Besides, I’m bored with easy women. I need some danger to get me excited about life again.” He chuckled. “I’m sure they get bored with Sampson, too. We all know they’re in it only for the fame.”
“You know, I never thought of it like that before.”
“What about the girlfriend you already have? You know, the one you’ve lived with for five years?” Phil teased.
Brock grunted with disgust. “Very funny. I need you to become an Emotion Officer so you can take her off my hands.”
“Why don’t you leave her?”
“It’s not that easy. The woman is a master manipulator.”
“Yeah, blackmail is becoming more common these days. Have to be careful who you hook up with.”
Brock lowered his voice. “Let’s get the discs down for all his women. No harm in looking. Then if it doesn’t work out with one, you can try the next!”
“Do we have time right now?”
“We’ll just take a quick look.” Alina heard the sound of discs sliding out of place, and footsteps approaching the monitor.
“Convenient that Sampson likes them accessible,” said Phil.
“What,
